Long-billed marsh wren
The marsh wren (Cistothorus palustris ) is a small North American songbird of the wren family. It is sometimes called the long-billed marsh wren to distinguish it from the sedge wren, also known as the short-billed marsh wren.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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Partial MigrantPartial migration is when within a migratory species or even within a single population, some individuals migrate while others do not.
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starts withMarsh wrens are small North American songbirds. Adults have brown upperparts with a light brown belly and flanks and a white throat and breast. Their back is black with white stripes. They have a dark cap with a white line over the eyes and a short thin bill.
Marsh wrens are native to Canada, Mexico, and the United States. In the western United States, some birds are permanent residents. Other birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico. The breeding habitat of these wrens includes marshes with tall vegetation such as cattails and bulrush. In winter they can be found in both freshwater marshes and salt marshes and in brushy edges of ponds.
Marsh wrens are usually seen alone or sometimes in pairs. They are active diurnal birds that constantly move near or on the ground searching for food. They forage in vegetation close to the water, occasionally flying up to catch insects in flight. They may also pick insects from the water surface. Marsh wrens are known for the males' loud song. The song is a loud gurgle used to declare ownership of territory and is often sung day and night.
Marsh wrens are carnivores (insectivores). They mainly eat insects but also spiders and snails.
Marsh wrens are polygynous, meaning that the males mate with more than one female. The nest of these birds is an oval structure attached to marsh vegetation, entered from the side. The male builds many unused or "dummy" nests in his territory. A hypothesis of the possible reason why males build multiple "dummy" nests in their territory is that they are courting areas and that the females construct the "breeding nest", where they lay the eggs in. The male may puncture the eggs and fatally peck the nestlings of other birds nesting nearby, including his own species (even his own offspring) and Red-winged blackbirds, Yellow-headed blackbirds, and Least bitterns. The female typically lays 4 to 6 eggs and incubates them alone for 12-16 days. The chicks hatch altricial (helpless) and usually fledge after about 13-15 days. They remain with their parents for a further 2 weeks after which the young become independent and the female starts to lay the second brood.
Marsh wrens are still common and widespread, however, their numbers have declined with the loss of suitable wetland habitat. The wholesale draining of marshes might also lead to the local extinction of some populations in the future.
According to the All About Birds resource the total breeding population size of the Marsh wren is 9.4 million birds. Currently, this species is classified as least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are increasing.
